What the International Geraniaceae Group Does

Updated

The International Geraniaceae Group (IGG) is a society for people interested in the Geraniaceae plant family — pelargoniums, geraniums, erodiums and their relatives. Its stated purpose is captured in its own tagline: "To Learn. To Grow. To Share." In practice, that means the group exists to help members build knowledge about these plants, grow them successfully, and exchange both information and plant material with other enthusiasts. It is aimed at anyone from curious beginners to experienced growers and collectors who want a structured community around this plant family rather than scattered information.

What the group offers

The IGG describes its activities under three broad headings that map directly onto its tagline:

  • Learn — building and sharing knowledge about Geraniaceae: identifying plants, understanding their cultivation needs, and learning from other members' experience.
  • Grow — supporting members in actually cultivating these plants, including access to plant material through the group's sharing culture.
  • Share — exchanging knowledge and plants among members, so that expertise and stock circulate within the community rather than staying with individual growers.

The "What we do" section of the site is the authoritative summary of current activities; because specific programmes and resources can change, check that page for the latest details before assuming a particular service (such as a seed exchange or journal) is running.

Community channels

Beyond the website itself, the group maintains a public Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/GeraniaceaeGroup/. The site notes that this Facebook page is publicly accessible, which makes it the lowest-commitment way to see what the community discusses and how active it is before deciding whether to join. For a prospective member, browsing the public Facebook group is a sensible first step: it shows the tone of discussion, the kinds of questions members ask, and the plants they grow.

Who it suits

The group is a good fit if you:

  • grow or want to grow pelargoniums, hardy geraniums, erodiums or related genera;
  • prefer learning from other growers' direct experience over generic care guides;
  • are interested in exchanging plants or knowledge rather than only reading;
  • want an international community, since the group's scope and name are explicitly international.

It is less useful if you need commercial-scale supplier information or scientific taxonomy resources specifically — the site presents itself as a growers' and enthusiasts' group, not a research institution.

How to get involved

  1. Look first. Visit the public Facebook group to gauge activity and topics.
  2. Read "What we do" and "Join Us" on geraniaceae-group.org for the current description of activities and membership.
  3. Join through the process described on the Join Us page. The site's payment setup references Stripe and PayPal, so membership payment is handled online — confirm the current fee and terms on the Join Us page, as these are not stated in the material available here.

The main practical caution is simply that activity levels and specific offerings (publications, exchanges, events) are best verified on the site and Facebook group at the time you join, rather than assumed from the tagline alone.